Keeping in step with the maturation of the motorized society, there has been an ever-increasing demand for safety measures for occupants in recent years.
Especially as measures for protecting occupants in the event of a collision of an automotive vehicle, a variety of techniques have been developed.
For example, as a measure for protecting a cabin upon collision, front and rear impact absorbing structures of a vehicle body, that permits absorption of impact energy while the vehicle body itself is undergoing collapse, have found wide-spread utility.
Also, as measures for directly protecting the body of an occupant in the event of a collision, developments of air bags and the like are now under way in addition to head rests and seat belts.
Described specifically, as a form of collision, an automotive vehicle may be struck from the rear. In the event of a collision from the rear as mentioned above, an occupant is subjected to strong rearward force because of inertia force or the like. In this event, a head rest, together with a seat back, support the back and head of the occupant so that the occupant is prevented from hitting an object located rearwards while being supported by the seat back and head rest.
In the case of a frontal collision, for example, an occupant is subjected to strong forward force due to inertia force or the like. Here, a seat belt prevents forward movement of the occupant so that the occupant can avoid hitting an object located frontwards. When the occupant is subjected to extremely strong forward force, forward impact energy of the occupant is absorbed in a cushioned manner by an air bag so that the occupant can avoid hitting a steering wheel, dash panel, wind shield or the like which is located frontwards.
Among forms of collisions of automotive vehicles, a representative one is a collision from the front or the rear. As a result of further research on the forms of collisions, it has been revealed that the form in which an automotive vehicle is struck from the side is not rare. Measures which have been developed against such a collision from the side include measures to protect a cabin through enhancement of the strength of a door, for example, by adding a reinforcement to a door panel.
It is also thought that in the event of a collision of an automotive vehicle, an occupant may be subjected to such force as causing him or her to hit a side wall of the cabin under inertia force or the like acting on him or her.
Namely, when force is applied to an occupant in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body in the event of a collision, the occupant can be protected from hitting an object located frontwards or rearwards within the cabin by a seat back, a head rest, a seat belt, an air bag and/or the like as mentioned above. There is, however, a potential danger that the occupant may hit a side wall of the cabin when the occupant is subjected to such force as being directed toward the side wall of the cabin.
It is therefore desired to prevent the occupant from hitting the side wall of the cabin especially at a part where the side wall has high strength and rigidity.
A typical example of such a high strength and rigidity part in the side wall of the cabin is a pillar.
For example, FIG. 20 is a view showing, by way of examples, a test area and a range of directions of impacts in an impact absorption test which determines whether or not an impact-absorbing structure required for a pillar part to protect an occupant meets a standard.
The drawing illustrates the testing method upon a center pillar. In a prescribed height range of a pillar inner 2 arranged on an inboard side of the pillar (namely, the center pillar), an impact absorption test is conducted in the area and directions as indicated by hatching. Namely, over an entire area of the pillar 1 ranging from a front-side flange portion 4 to a rear-side flange portion 5 where the pillar inner 2 is joined with a pillar outer 3, predetermined impact loads are applied in the corresponding directions by an object imitating an occupant to test whether or not the absorption of the impacts is sufficiently performed.
When the pillar portion is provided, on an inboard side thereof, with an impact absorbing structure, the impact absorbing structure is determined to be free of problems insofar as, upon application of predetermined impact loads from the prescribed directions in such a range, such impacts can be absorbed before the above-described object directly reaches the pillar inner 2.
Incidentally, numerals 6 and 7 in FIG. 20 indicate flange trims fitted on the flange portions 4,5, respectively.
Typical examples of application manners of such impact loads include an impact test in which an impact is applied toward a central portion of a front wall of the pillar inner 2 from a direction a, an impact test in which impacts are applied toward a side portion of the pillar inner 2 from directions b,b' and an impact test in which impacts are applied toward the flange portions 4,5 on an edge portion of the pillar inner 2 from directions c,c'.
It is in view of the directions of all possible collisions of an occupant against the pillar 1 that the impact absorbing tests from the respective directions are conducted. Conversely speaking, it is desired to provide an impact absorbing structure which, irrespective of the colliding direction of the occupant against the pillar 1, can protect the occupant by surely absorbing impact energy from such various directions.
In general, there are many automotive vehicles with pillar inners 2 covered with trims. Such trims are, however, intended merely to improve the cabin appearance and/or to provide better touch feeling when occupants touch pillar portions. As such conventional trims, those having such a structure as shown, for example, in FIG. 21 are common. Namely, as illustrated in FIG. 21, no particular member is arranged between the pillar inner 2 and a trim 8 to permit absorption of an impact as intended. Further, a gap d between the pillar inner 2 and the trim 8 is small so that the pillar inner 2 is caused to immediately reach the bottom upon application of an impact against the trim 8.
Incidentally, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. HEI 3-37040 discloses a mounting structure for a pillar garnish. This technique, however, is intended to permit an adjustment of a mounted position of the pillar garnish and fails to take into consideration impacts which may be applied as described above. This technique therefore cannot overcome the above-mentioned problem.
Further, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. HEI 3-68149 discloses a mounting structure for a pillar trim. This technique is intended to protect a pillar trim from deformation. Like the technique mentioned above, nothing is, however, taken into consideration against impacts which may be applied to the pillar. This technique cannot overcome the above-mentioned problem either.
With the foregoing problem in view, it is an object of the present invention that, even when the occupant is caused to hit an inboard side of a structural member such as a pillar, the occupant be protected by absorbing impact energy produced at the time of this hitting. It is another object of the present invention to surely retain the width of an opening between structural members such as pillars and also a good outward appearance of a vehicle by avoiding widening of the structural members which would otherwise occur as a result of the provision of the protection.